Almost a week later, there are stores that are carrying the Rand price tag on their goods. Batswana should benefit from the Rand/Pula exchange rate, which places the latter at an advantage. However, it is our view that the President should ensure a comprehensive investigation should be undertaken into services provided in Botswana, particularly by South African companies, which enjoy or dominate the local market. The investigation should encompass as many sectors as possible, such as the auto industry, sale of auto spare parts, foodstuffs and others. While it is a fact that South Africa has a viable auto manufacturing industry, which does not only provide jobs for the country’s citizens, but also gives them fair pricing, it seems the dealers on this side of the border have extremely high prices. It is common to find same car model costing half price of what the car costs in Botswana. Another area is that of sponsorships and competitions, which seem to be common in South Africa than in Botswana. We do appreciate that many of the companies operating in Botswana are franchises, but they should be encouraged to sponsor community activities such as sport development, education sponsorships and others, and community development in general. The best way to do it is through a policy or law that compels investors to disclose their Corporate Social Investment and Corporate Social Responsibility before they can be granted a licence to set up in Botswana. One other player is Multichoice, which operates the Digital Satellite Television service (DSTV). While it is a fact that Multichoice has assisted some Batswana in different areas, it is disturbing to note the shocking disparities in the charges for same services in the two countries putting Batswana at huge disadvantage as they are required to pay more for less. The government, particularly the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry as well as BOCRA should look into this matter and determine whether or not it is a fair practice. It won’t hurt for us to be told reasons why we have to pay more for less.
Lastly, the consumer in Botswana is not protected for the simple reason that we have a very small manufacturing sector, small population and we produce very little for ourselves. The excessive pricing in Botswana has resulted in people buying goods in South Africa, even servicing their vehicles there. Meanwhile, the local economy is haemorraging and unable to create jobs. It is the duty of the government to ensure that Batswana are not ripped off.
